(Daily Beast) Gordon G. Chang - In October 2012, Iran began stationing personnel at a military base in North Korea close to the Chinese border. The Iranians reportedly are working on both missiles and nuclear weapons. Inspections inside Iran will not give the international community access to any nuclear weapons efforts in North Korea. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, thought to be Tehran's chief nuclear scientist, was almost certainly in North Korea in February 2013 to witness its third atomic test. Reports put Iranian technicians on hand for the first two detonations as well. The North Koreans have also sold Iran material for bomb cores. The Telegraph reported that in 2002 a barrel of North Korean uranium cracked open and contaminated the tarmac of Tehran airport. Iran could still continue developing its bomb in North Korea, conducting research there or buying North Korean technology and plans. With the removal of sanctions, Iran will have the cash to accelerate the building of its nuclear arsenal. In other words, Iran could be one day away from a bomb - the flight time from Pyongyang to Tehran - not one year as America hopes.
2015-04-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive